US Admiral Quits as Caribbean Strikes Leave Civilian Deaths and Questions of Legality
By Staff, Agencies
The US military has carried out another strike in the Caribbean just as the admiral overseeing the Trump administration’s regional campaign abruptly resigned, fueling growing controversy over civilian deaths and the legality of the operations.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Thursday’s attack, saying that for the first time in the series of strikes, some crew members had reportedly survived. No additional details were released, and neither the Pentagon nor President Donald Trump has commented publicly.
The assault marked at least the sixth such strike since early September, with at least 27 people confirmed dead. While the Trump administration insists the campaign targets “narco-terrorists” linked to Venezuela, critics have denounced the actions as extrajudicial killings disguised as counter-narcotics operations.
Legal experts and human rights groups argue that Washington is violating international law by conducting targeted killings without due process or judicial oversight. They have urged international bodies to intervene and assess whether the campaign constitutes a breach of the UN Charter.
Venezuela has been among the most vocal critics. Its ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, called on the Security Council to launch an investigation into what he described as “a series of assassinations.” Speaking at the UN on Thursday, Moncada condemned the latest attack, which killed six people—including two Trinidadian fishermen—calling it “a new set of extrajudicial executions.”
“There is a killer prowling the Caribbean,” he said, holding up a local newspaper that chronicled the victims’ lives.
Fishing communities across the Caribbean have been left terrified. Venezuelan and Trinidadian fishermen—separated by only a few miles of sea—say they now risk being mistaken for smugglers. “People from different countries are suffering the effects of these massacres,” Moncada warned, accusing Washington of “fabricating a war.”
While Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister has remained silent on the latest incident, she had previously expressed support for US operations in the region. But grief and outrage are mounting among local families.
In Trinidad’s Las Cuevas village, relatives of 26-year-old fisherman Chad Joseph said he vanished while returning home by boat from Venezuela and is now feared dead in one of the US attacks. “I don’t want to believe that this is my child,” his mother said in an interview. Families like hers have been forced to rely on social media posts and fragmented reports to learn the fate of their loved ones, as no official list of the dead has been released.
Meanwhile, the US military buildup in the Caribbean has intensified. Since late August, Washington has deployed warships, fighter jets, a nuclear submarine, and thousands of troops across the region—moves critics describe as intimidation tactics aimed at Venezuela. Trump has also authorized CIA operations inside the country and openly discussed the possibility of ground strikes.
In a televised address, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned Washington’s actions as part of a broader regime change agenda. “No to CIA-orchestrated coups d’état. No to regime change, which reminds us of the endless, failed wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya,” he declared.
Amid the escalating backlash, Admiral Alvin Holsey, head of the US Southern Command responsible for these operations, announced his resignation on Thursday—just one year into his post and two years before the scheduled end of his term. No explanation was provided for his early departure, but his resignation came as criticism mounts over both the mission’s legality and its growing civilian toll.
